Just A Frozen Moment in Time
by RainbowJH
Summary: A story where a person is forced into hiding and exploring relationships. Two people, who against all odds are now together, their families' reactions and how they are dealing with all this together. It's about remembrance of childhood days, of celebrating Beltane, worshiping the Goddess - those days were the glory days in Draco's mind. Just a oneshot. SLASH, don't like, don't read


**Written for Ancient Runes assignment 11 at Hogwarts.** **Also, written for Gringotts and November Event: Male Appreciation.**

 **Extra prompts used:**

 **Character: Regulus Black**  
 **Charlie Weasley/ Draco Malfoy**  
 **Colour: Light Red**  
 **Trait: Ignorance**  
 **Item: Quill**  
 **Word: Discernment**  
 **Gemstone: Bloodstone**  
 **Tree: Pine**  
 **Plant: Cowslip**  
 **Element: Fire**

 **Everyone, thank _gunner brat_ for looking this over and making this piece make sense.**

 **Words: 1,185**

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 **Just A Frozen Moment in Time**

 _Charlie's PoV_

"Draco, you there?"

I rolled over on the bed, finding it empty, the cold sheets clutched in my hands. I blurrily looked about the room and found him on the far end of the room, sitting in front of the fire, with his back to the couch.

The fire illuminated his platinum locks a light red, the reds and oranges flickering, and the sharp contours of his face were softened by the glow.

I pushed myself up, going towards him. Making myself comfortable besides him, I waited for him to speak.

He took a sip from his wine glass. I hadn't realized he was drinking.

Wordlessly he passed me the bottle from his other side, a bottle of Cowslip wine, the glass clinking against my ring.

Pondering over the choice of wine but conjuring a glass, I poured the wine in my glass. Draco is always horrified if I had even one swig directly from the bottle insisting that wine, even if one needs just a mouthful, it is to be savored.

"Did you know today's Beltane?" He asked finally.

I nodded besides him, grasping his hand. The old Wizarding families still celebrated Beltane, while our family hadn't done so from decades. The Prewetts stopped worshipping when my uncles, Fabian and Gideon died fighting the war. The Weasley's hadn't celebrated it for as far as I knew. Story went that as soon we lost all our wealth, some Weasley ancestor decided not to worship the Goddess till we were served justice. well, it was a story of another time.

"Mother and I, every Beltane we used to make an offering to the Goddess. Even Father joined us sometimes. We'd burn the cowslip, ash wood, angelica, bluebells and some others and make a bouquet of St. John's Wort, fern and cowslip with a hawthorn stick at the center. We decorated the pine tree, just behind the Manor. It was one of those time when we'd just be."

He fell in a gloomy silence before picking up his train of thought. "Do you know about Regulus Black? I learnt about him while researching the Black family genealogy." I squeezed his hand, his fingers warm against my own icy ones.

"We were the same, I believe. Torn between our love for our mother, our family but wanting to do right - him, for the sake of his brother. Me, for my loved ones. We were both raised in ignorance of the truth. I love mother, I do, but if she can't accept my way of life, and you," he turned towards me, "I am not going back."

"You know, I won't mind if you go back." I remembered her letters which Draco had showed me, asking him to come and talk with her.

Narcissa Malfoy had left immediately after her son, disapparating to the gates of Hogwarts. She'd been able to apparate directly from Malfoy Manor as she was its Mistress. As Snape didn't know, about what happened in the immediate aftermath, he'd allowed her to see McGonagall where she offered to join the Order.

Now, she lived with her elder sister as the current headquarters, the Burrow, had no room.

It's been more than an year since then. The war had ended, Voldemort had been defeated. But the Death Eaters had fled, and were now out for the blood of the traitors. Even Lucius Malfoy had changed the sides, at the last minute, lying in the face of the Dark Lord that Harry had died, when in fact he hadn't. It wasn't that he had a change of heart, far from it. He just believed in the family sticking together and followed his wife and son.

My attention snapped back to Draco as he replied. "No, no, I am not. I am here to stay as long as you'll have me."

I was quick to reassure. "I do, forever."

Continuing, I said, "How about you write of this to your mother? Make your feelings known. She loves you, I'm sure she'll understand. She knows of our relationship only through the Order. She's sent four letters since."

I stood up, going to the far corner of the room where there was a desk, picking up some parchments and a quill. "Write back, love. I'll be here when you are done. And we'll celebrate Beltane tomorrow. "

"I, I, thank you."

I made my way to the bed to let him write in peace.

Looking around the room, I remembered the last year. We were in hiding, trying to fight and avoid the death eaters.

Draco had saved Hermione at the Malfoy Manor, not able to look on at the torture of a fellow classmate. It was then he had realized how wrong everything was, how wrong his life was turning out. He realized these weren't the glory days his father had told him stories about. These were the Dark times, even the servants were tortured in the same way the Mudbloods were.

He'd been taken to the Shell Cottage, along with others. It wasn't long before Bill came to the decision after conferring with Kingsley, that it was best that he stayed with me. Not many people knew I had a flat in London, most just assumed I lived at the Burrow when I was not in Romania. And gradually we had realized our feelings for each other.

Now the whole Order knew about us. His mother on hearing this through word of the mouth had written a letter to Draco to ask him to stop living with me at once and I was still a blood traitor. And that was that. In the next letters, she hadn't mentioned or acknowledged me in any way.

Not that my mother was any better. I had got a Howler, shouting at me for not telling her or dad about my preferences - Bill had let it slip that he knew about that from my years at Hogwarts - and to stop fooling around. Needless to say, that had been a setback to my relationship with Draco and with her, too.

I had written back to her, having my siblings supporting me had helped in changing her views. She now grudgingly accepted our relationship. She couldn't discern how she never knew about me, and had then went on to ask all her children if they wanted to tell her something. She had assumed I was sweet on Tonks, who was two years younger than me, and then I had been too busy with the dragon reserve. All this was behind us now, we had made our peace by Easter.

Sometimes, I wonder at how my life has turned out after the war. I never thought I'd love this person, acting against both of our family's wishes. I sighed, feeling the bloodstone ring adorning my left finger, dimly glinting by the fire. It didn't matter much else, as long as we were together.

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 **So, how do yo all like this story? This is my first time writing slash so let me know how this attempt was. Also, the Beltane traditions I have mentioned I have searched as extensively as I could. Please, if anyone celebrates the festival let me know if i have got the information right. I'd really appreciate it if you guys could drop a review.**


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